SERVICE LEARNING
A core part of our mission at SPCS, service learning allows our students to not only put their skills into practice at the service of others, but also sets a foundation for lifelong servant leadership.
In a self-centered world, SPCS seeks to train students to continually think of others first. Our goal with service learning is to cultivate students who love to give back and for whom serving others becomes a natural part of their character as they go out into the world.
This current generation is passionate about changing the world, so we tap into that natural drive by providing tons of opportunities for students to pair that passion with giving back. We are always blown away by our community’s generosity in response to these service projects!
SERVICE LEARNING
ANNUAL PROJECTS
We are proud to be involved in a variety of service learning projects at SPCS, including:
- Soup making for JOY Soup Kitchen
- Volunteering at a local homeless shelter, a school for at-risk boys, senior center, and food bank
- Writing thank you letters to veterans
- Toy drives for Catholic Charities
- Regular collections of food, water, clothing, and monetary donations for various causes in our area, including the Pitt County Foster Closet, local veterans, and St. Peter Catholic Church St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
SOUP MAKING
What began as a short-term Lenten Service project for 3rd Graders in 1998 has become an institution and rite of passage for the intermediate grades. Since that simple beginning, soup has been made by 3rd and 5th grade Prayer Partners every Thursday for more than 20 years!
The soup is then transported to the JOY (Jesus, Others, You) Soup Kitchen by volunteers.
“…For I was hungry and you gave me food…” Matthew 25:35a
SCHOOL-WIDE COLLECTIONS AND DRIVES
Throughout the year, SPCS families participate in a number of collections for local charities, especially our annual canned goods collection during Catholic Schools Week and the Tree of Warmth and Candy Grams sponsored by the SPCS Beta Club. We are honored to get to contribute to these incredible initiatives, benefitting local food pantries, foster organizations, veterans, Catholic Charities, and more.
And our SPCS community’s generosity always blows us away. For example, our annual canned goods collection for local food pantries during Catholic Schools Week netted almost 13,000 canned goods in just one week!
And of course, our students’ enthusiastic involvement makes it even more joyful — like the time our students formed a human chain to move more than 4,000 donated canned goods from one portion of the school to the donation van outside, singing as they went!
PERSONAL STUDENT SERVICE
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SERVICE LEARNING
TAKES ROOT
We celebrate these displays of helping others through our weekly Wildcat Shout-Outs, published in our weekly newsletter, school-wide announcements, and on social media — our way of recognizing and encouraging our students in the pursuit of virtue!